– Update your copyright date! You can use code to do this
– add a last updated script to your page (do it as an external script so you use one script in many places
– add photos to contacts! Goes a long way in increasing user’s trust in a website

Turn boring old contact info into exciting hCards
– using microformats extension – allows you to import contact info into your address book

Don’t use click here. Instead, use Current articles are available here (with current articles text as the link)
– “Current articles” – a trigger word, it’ll be highlighted as a link, so it’ll stand out more

Harness the awesome power of the 4 question survey!

surveymonkey.com
Great questions to ask:
1. what’s the purpose of your visit to our website today
2. were you able to complete your tasks today
3. if you weren’t successful, why not?
ps – ask for their email

Computers and the Internet will not save the world (Clifford Stoll, from 1995) – what’s missing is human contact. This is also true in libraryland.

We know how to do this in our buildings:
– Delft Public Library (DOK)
– they have electronic based contextual digital signage (run off a Wii, of all things)
– they integrate games, etc so it’s clear everything is content
– iTunes booths
– Gaming is a social event – the social aspect happens around the games – not the games themselves

Our jobs – connecting people in these spaces

It’s not the tech – it’s the touch

Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody – another mention of that book. I need to read it.

***”We don’t own this but… We Can Get it For You” (linked to ILL) – much better than a normal ILL link.

Database of the week via SlideShare idea…

Human presence is important – showing that (IM “I’m online” button)

Tampa – having kids make videos advertising the ask a librarian service

ACRL is using the Meebo Chat room to bring people together. 65 people appeared…

Creating Serendipity for Users:
technology is making it easier to connect with people
LibraryThing for Libraries – extends the catalog via people (tagging, related books, etc)

BiblioCommons –
Very social opac – stuff like coverflow visual viewing, saved items and viewing other save item lists, people connections via in-boxes, etc. They’re focusing on the people parts

David Free and I had a great time with our preconference workshop yesterday. Here’s a link to my presentation, and David Free’s post on the session (includes a link to his presentation and a link to the podcast we made). And of course, the video we made is at the top of this post.